According to experts, the most evident manifestations of grief are a loss of appetite, social withdrawal or the frequent revisiting of places that were meaningful.

Written by

William Hageman
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

When a family pet dies, people grieve. But the reverse is also the case: When you go, your dog, cat or rabbit may grieve over losing you. And when a pet dies, a surviving pet may take it worst of all.

Pet grief exists. It's not the same as the grief a person experiences nor is it as deep. It's not present in every case. But it exists in ways recognizable to us.

The most evident manifestations of grief are a loss of appetite, social withdrawal or the frequent revisiting of places that were meaningful, according to Barbara J. King, a professor of anthropology at Virginia's College of William & Mary who ...